This invention relates to electromagnetic devices and systems for transmission of data to magnetic card readers.
Cards containing one or more magnetic media tracks with recorded data patterns are used for many types of systems such as identification cards, security cards, entry cards, credit cards, gift cards, cash cards and payment systems. The magnetic stripes of conventional cards contain patterns of reversing magnetic orientation, which are permanently impressed upon a semi-hard layer of magnetic material. The physical location of the magnetization transitions can determine the data sequence via an information code such as F2F (Frequency Two Recording), MFM (Modified Frequency Modulation) or other more complex RLL (Run Length Limited) codes. The magnetically recorded data patterns are unique to the individual user or application, hence, the data pattern is essentially fixed in time. The data is recorded on the card and then provided to the user. Hence, a different card is required for each financial account forcing one to have multiple cards.
In use, the card is transported past a magnetic read head, or heads, which reads the magnetic data pattern. This transport of the magnetic stripe of the card adjacent to a magnetic data read head generates a data pattern signal. The read-heads detect a data pulse due to the time rate of change of the magnetic flux coupled into the read-head from the magnetic stripe. More than one magnetic read-head can be provided in a magnetic card reader so that more than one magnetic track can be read in parallel from magnetic data tracks.
Thus, magnetic card readers are fixed in design and operate according to parameters designed to accommodate conventional cards with permanently fixed magnetic media. What is needed is a card that can communicate with existing magnetic card readers using a communications method other than a traditional, static magnetic stripe.